- Published: September 11, 2022
- Updated: September 11, 2022
- University / College: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Language: English
- Downloads: 21
Thesis: Since the migration of Europeans to the America’s in the 15th century, Native American culture has come under pressure; nonetheless, great efforts have been made (since the 19th century) to revive the culture, albeit with many challenges too.
– The dilution of the Native American culture can be traced back to two important developments.
– One is the entry of Europeans to the America’s in the 15th century.
– With the coming of Europeans, Native Americans involuntarily lost some aspects of their culture.
– Integration with Europeans
– The second important point is when the government started to force Native Americans to change their normal way of life.
– Enactment of laws to “ civilize” Native Americans had irreparable damage to their culture.
– Revival of Native American culture started in the 19th century especially with the enactment of laws recognizing the rights of Native Americans.
– The government facilitates the signing of the Hopewell Trust
– The Hopewell Trust gave the Cherokees, Choctaws and the Chickasaws protection and the assurance that boundaries would be respected.
– Under the Hopewell Trust, Indians had the right to property and the assurance of special provisions to trade.
– Native Americans give the chance to become citizens.
– The government also issues fee simple patents
– Fee simple patents allowed community ownership of land.
– Issuance of fee simple patents gave recognition to Native American’s way of life.
– Dawes Act of 1887 gets enacted.
– Under Dawes Act, individual Native Americans were to be allotted part of their tribal land.
– The government offers the government a New Deal.
– Under the new deal, Indians could now reorganize.
– Again, Indians could also form their own governments.
– The government also established Native American Boarding schools.
– In the late 19th century, the government intervened to provide education to Native Americans of school-going age.
– Nonetheless, the process of revival was not without hitches.
– Enactment of the Removal Act in 1830 was a blow to the Native Americans.
– Although the initial plan was to allow voluntary migration of Native Americans, the process ended up using unnecessary force to move populations of Native Americans.
– Forceful migration disrupted the people’s way of life.
– Enactment of Indian Reorganization Act rendered the Dawes Act ineffective, with catastrophic results.
– Indian Reorganization Act led to repossession and subsequent loss of lands distributed to individual Native Americans.
– Native American tribes also suffered other social ills as a result of the Indian Reorganization Act.
– Inhibition to speak native language.
– Children attending the native Americans Boarding Schools established by the government were not allowed to use their native languages.
– Again, the children learn Christianity in these schools though there are Native American religious beliefs.
– Although the quest to revive Native American culture has severally been hit by challenges, two things stand out.
– The first one is the enactment of laws recognizing the rights of Native Americans.
– The second thing is the politcal will entrusted to foster revival of Native American culture.